Luis Enrique meets Barça with Xavi in ​​the Champions League with PSG – Digital Samachaar

It’s not but identified whether or not Luis Enrique’s basis has acquired 5 million euros. If that occurs, the Paris Saint-Germain coach promised an FC Barcelona fan earlier than the Champions League quarter-finals, “I’ll inform Kylian to take a break.” This refers to Kylian Mbappé, PSG’s star striker. However he solely takes motion on the premise of written data: “I want the switch receipt, eh!”

The teasing about Mbappé was one of many humorous moments of a chat for which Luis Enrique activated his channel on Twitch, a portal for dwell streaming of video video games, two weeks in the past. In doing so, he resumed a convention that he had maintained as Spanish nationwide coach through the 2022 World Cup. The neighborhood referred to as him “Luis Padrique” appreciatively on the time; In Spanish youth slang, “padre”, truly father, is a praise for the man who has all the things underneath management. Ironic repartee is in his blood, because the coach sees it: “They used to kick me out of faculty due to it.”

Enrique has made PSG the favorites

Right now he’s 53 and subsequently a quite uncommon sight on the gaming chairs of the younger streamer world. Then again, any throne fits him, as a result of the Asturian from Gijón pursues the premise in each life and job that he as soon as said when he took workplace at FC Barcelona: “I’m the chief in my groups.”

Luis Enrique has by no means cared about conventions, been afraid of journey and even prevented polemics. Because the Spanish nationwide coach, he had the chutzpah to appoint the primary Spanish event squad in historical past with out a skilled from Actual Madrid for the 2021 European Championship

Even throughout his taking part in days, he was the one footballer up to now to maneuver – on this course and with out detours – instantly from Actual to arch-rivals Barça. There he threw himself into the battle with dedication, grew to become a captain and a fan idol, and eventually in 2015 he grew to become the final coach up to now to win a Champions League with the membership, and in 2017 he grew to become the final one to provide him a giant European Cup evening, the legendary sixth :1 comeback in opposition to Paris Saint-Germain.

Earlier than the reunion on Wednesday, he has bought the Qatar membership so excited that they’re thought-about favorites. Even in his first season in Paris, Luis Enrique makes no compromises. Though he claims to be studying French, he doesn’t converse a phrase. He brushes off annoying journalists’ questions with raised eyebrows and thrusting his chin as harshly as he at all times favored to do.

The fixed quarrels surrounding Mbappé don’t shock him, quite the opposite, he fuels them by typically changing him in his final PSG season. The final time on the “Classique” in Marseille was across the sixty fourth minute. The star disappeared into the dressing room in a rage, the press as soon as once more had their subject – however PSG received 2-0 regardless of being outnumbered.

Earlier than the present spherical, Paris had not misplaced any of their final 26 video games. “A workforce that’s united, works exhausting and performs good soccer,” is what their coach isn’t the one one to look at. The championship appears to be only a formality, the cup remaining in opposition to Lyon was reached on Wednesday, and Actual Sociedad San Sebastián was confidently eradicated within the Champions League spherical of 16. Luis Enrique then defined with the commanding information of a earlier event winner: “Dynamics are one thing crucial on this competitors. And we’re clearly on the way in which up.”

José Barroso is a long-serving PSG reporter for France’s sports activities primer “L’Équipe”. Throughout the 13-year Qatar period, he has seen a variety of coaches come and fail: due to the everlasting obsession with the Champions League, due to the airs and graces of the celebs. “We found in him a coach who brings a venture, depth and readability,” says Barroso about Luis Enrique. “Everybody can see that he’s one hundred pc concerned, a workaholic, at all times exterior in Poissy (the PSG campus, editor’s observe), not within the Parisian eating places within the evenings.”

The truth that the “entraîneur” doesn’t converse French isn’t considered as damaging to the picture. «Crucial factor at a giant membership is what you see on the pitch, and what we see is nice: a workforce that acts like a workforce. That wasn’t at all times the case right here earlier than, and that was the most important drawback.”

Not damaged by the demise of her daughter

Behind Luis Enrique’s ruler poses is a coach who can infect gamers. He appears to switch his personal health fetishism – demonstrated at excessive exams such because the Marathon des Sables within the Sahara or the Cape Epic mountain bike tour in South Africa – to her, in addition to his penchant for the assistance of his psychologist. He was at all times appreciated within the dressing rooms. Spain worldwide Dani Olmo described him as an “accessible man who you possibly can at all times discuss to when it is advisable.”

After preliminary quarrels, he even received over giants like Francesco Totti in Rome and Lionel Messi in Barcelona to the frequent trigger. “Luis Enrique is one, as a coach and as an individual,” says the Italian about him.

In distinction, PSG reporter Barroso sees “a number of respect” for coach Luis Enrique, however nonetheless “little heat” for the individual from the Paris followers. Can Twitch change that? The return of the “Streamer of the 12 months” (Luis Enrique about Luis Enrique) was additionally a few good trigger. The coach introduced the institution of the stated basis, which is meant to assist destitute households in the same scenario within the identify of his daughter Xana, who died of a tumor in 2019. “It was dangerous even with cash,” he says.

In Xana’s ninth and remaining 12 months, Luis Enrique sat out his nationwide coach position, however he managed to not break. How? He by no means talked about it. However in his most up-to-date Twitch session a clue may need been found. When a person requested him for a e-book tip, he talked about the Jewish psychologist Viktor Frankl’s report on the seek for that means within the inhumanity of a focus camp. It says: “Say sure to life anyway.”

With Luis Enrique and Xavi as gamers, Barça skilled a darkish interval

“Tingling in all places, tingling particularly for me”: That is how Luis Enrique describes the upcoming Champions League duel between Paris Saint-Germain and FC Barcelona. Two golf equipment meet which have turn into nearly fatally entangled in one another. And two trainers who skilled lots collectively.

If Barça is one thing just like the college of latest soccer, then Luis Enrique and Xavi Hernández are amongst its most outstanding graduates after visionary Pep Guardiola and celebrity Lionel Messi. However whereas they had been within the squad collectively as midfielders for six years, the membership skilled one of many darkest durations in its historical past. He didn’t win a title for 5 years beginning in 1999. It was solely within the final 12 months of the then captain Luis Enrique within the 2003/04 season that the inspiration stone was laid for the good period with the signing of Ronaldinho, on the top of which the soccer world was enchanted underneath playmaker Xavi.

Luis Enrique, in the meantime, began his teaching profession with Barça’s second workforce and returned to the membership as head coach in 2014 – with the duty of combating the signs of decadence within the large workforce. To do that, he made the powerful determination to demote the legend Xavi, now a captain, to a noble reservist and as a substitute depend on the dynamic newcomer Ivan Rakitic. Xavi was outwardly loyal and supplied important mediation companies when Luis Enrique clashed with Messi. In a cheerful ending, they received Barça’s final Champions League title collectively earlier than Xavi left for Qatar to finish his profession.

Luis Enrique stayed for 2 extra seasons and probably the most well-known comeback in soccer historical past: Barça’s 6-1 win after 0-4 within the 2017 spherical of 16 in opposition to Paris. The Catalans had been eradicated within the subsequent spherical. However that March night basically modified each golf equipment.

The traumatized Qatar membership paid 222 million euros for Neymar to purchase again his shallowness. And Barcelona fell into such a panic due to PSG’s need for revenge that it gave Messi a monster wage of round 130 million euros per 12 months and squandered Neymar’s hundreds of thousands at a report tempo on overpriced newcomers like Ousmane Dembélé (135 million).

No one was pleased with all of this. Though additionally they bought Messi in 2021, Paris continued to overlook out on the Champions League title. Barça, in flip, discovered itself in a debt spiral that threatened its existence and which continues to restrict its capacity to behave to today. It subsequently needed to stand idly by when Dembélé left his contract final summer time for a set sum of fifty million euros. He moved to Paris on the specific request of Luis Enrique, who’s internet hosting a visit again to the long run at PSG put up Neymar, Messi and shortly Mbappé. To a workforce with out the large stars; one just like the one it performed within the historic match in opposition to its Barça in 2017.